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Why Christians Suffer

Part One 

     In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7)

(the following is excerted from the book Gold Under Fire, by Gary Crandall, a PleasantWord publication, 2005)

     It was barely dawn as the women set about their grim task. The burial spices they had prepared the day and evening before constituted their precious cargo. Perhaps they tried to brace themselves for the awful sight which most assuredly awaited them: the scarred body of their dead Lord. What they found instead seemed for the moment even more disastrous. The stone was rolled away and the body of Jesus was gone. “Why?!” resounded in their already broken hearts.

Looking back on this resurrection event through enlightened eyes, we see a glorious moment. We realize the victory that was won there. We celebrate this event dramatically every spring. We may have a hard time identifying with the feeling of perplexity these women experienced.

A careful look at Luke 24:4 may help us understand these women and ourselves better. The verse explains what was happening inside their hearts and minds. We are told: “And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood beside them in shining garments.” We are chiefly concerned with the word “perplexed.” It is the English translation of a Greek word that means literally “to be without a way.” It was used in a variety of fashions to indicate being at a loss, in doubt, or uncertain.¹  If we plug this idea back into the verse, we begin to see the frustration these women experienced. Something terrible had happened and they were at a loss. They were completely “without a way” to explain the empty tomb. The overbearing question which loomed before them was why? Why? Why?!

In my years as a pastor I have been asked that question more than any other. I have asked it myself more than once. It is a frank and often frustrating admission on our part that we are “without a way” to explain what has transpired in our lives.

In my first year as a pastor, the husband and father of a family in the church died. They knew he was in heaven. They knew his suffering was over. They knew God was with them. But all that knowledge did not answer their “whys.” Why did he have to die now? Why did he have to die in that manner? Why did he have to leave them? Why did God allow it to happen? Why did they have to go through this? As I was bombarded with these questions, I could only offer a lamentable “I don’t know” and wonder myself why such things happen. I felt like a man in a cave looking for a star. In knew that the answers, if they existed at all, did not lie within me. Although I had wondered “why” before, now my search began in earnest to discover both the answer to “why” and the way to respond.

Is it okay to ask “why”? Before we answer that question, we need to understand that it is not okay to question God’s goodness or knowledge or judgment or power. We must agree with the Psalmist that “As for God, His way is perfect” (Psalm 18:30). It is not okay to substitute knowledge for faith. Ultimately, what is most important is not that we know but that God knows. It is not okay if our attitude is one of demanding instead of humble request. Our goal must be to bring into focus God’s purpose, not to call into question God’s authority. Beyond such limits, however, the question “why” is not only appropriate, it is often necessary. Was it important for the women to know why the tomb was empty? Yes! It was part of God’s plan for them. Notice that they had the privilege of being the first ones to proclaim the risen Lord!

We may not always be able to understand “why.” That, however, is based upon our own limitations and does not invalidate the question. In fact, since God often uses adversity as a teaching tool, it is helpful to ask, “why am I experiencing this difficulty?”

The quest before us is not for more information. The quest is to know God better, to seek to discern His purpose, and to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

Stay tuned for more

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